Fears grow Turks held in Malaysia may face unfair trial or torture at home

The abducted educator Turgay Karaman and his wife.
The abducted educator Turgay Karaman and his wife.


Date posted: May 3, 2017

Oliver Holmes

Two Turkish men have been arrested in Malaysia, raising fears they might by forcibly returned to Turkey, where a rights group warned they could face unfair trial and torture.


Human rights group calls on Malaysian government not to extradite Turgay Karaman and İhsan Aslan to Turkey


Turgay Karaman and İhsan Aslan were “caught for activities that threaten the safety of Malaysia” under a section of the penal code that covers terrorism and organised crime, the inspector-general of Malaysia’s police, Khalid Abu Bakar, tweeted.

The statement was released after security camera footage showed four unidentified men in a Kuala Lumpur car park escorting a man whose hands were tied behind his back. That man was believed to be Karaman, a friend told the Malay Mail news portal.

Turkey has sought to track down its alleged opponents abroad, focusing on suspected followers of Fethullah Gülen, an exiled preacher blamed by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for a failed coup attempt last year.

Human Rights Watch, the New York-based advocacy group, said the Malaysian government must make sure “under no circumstance” should the two men be forcibly removed and extradited to Turkey.

“There is little doubt that if they are returned to Turkey, they will face torture in detention, and if charged with crimes there, be subjected to a trial that will fall far short of fair trial standards,” HRW’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, alleged.

The Malaysian prime minister’s office told the Guardian it was looking into the case. It did not immediately confirm or deny if the men would be extradited.

Erdoğan had vowed to “cleanse” Gülen supporters from the state and civil services. More than 41,000 people in Turkey have been arrested over suspected links to Gülen’s Hizmet movement, a global Islamic and social network.

As part of its worldwide crackdown on Hizmet – meaning “service” – Ankara has asked countries to arrest the movement’s supporters and close dozens of international schools it believes are part of the preacher’s transnational following.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said in October that Malaysia had handed over three people linked to Gülen.

“Our fight against them will continue till the end, both inland and abroad. We will not stop following them,” he said, adding that deal was struck with Malaysia after “mutual dialogue”.

It is not clear if the two men arrested this week are linked to any Gülen-affiliated organisations. Both were reported in local media to have worked at an international school in Malaysia, though its website does not refer to Gülen or Hizmet. The school did not return requests for comment.

Karaman was due to testify in a criminal trial in Kuala Lumpur this week, local media reported, although it was not immediately apparent if that case was related to his arrest.

His wife release a video statement hours after he went missing and before police announced he was in their custody, saying they had lived in Malaysia for 13 years and that Karaman held a work permit.

“I am calling on the Malaysian government to help as he is a gentleman and never hurt anyone,” she said.

Source: The Guardian , May 3, 2017


Related News

An Ideal, Dynamic, Democratic Education

Pierre Montandon, the Honorary Professor of University of Geneva, is a retired ear, nose and throat doctor… I had met him nearly four years ago in Istanbul. He was then going to Mongolia to analyze Turkish high schools. Then, he also saw the schools in Kazakhstan, now he is trying to tell these observations and […]

UK Parliament: No evidence that Gülen, movement behind coup attempt

Contrary to accusations made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament has concluded that Fethullah Gülen and the movement he inspired as a whole were not behind a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

12-year-old denied departure from Turkey for treatment in Cuba dies of cancer

A 12-year-old child has died of brain cancer several months after Turkish border agents seized his and his parents’ passports at İstanbul Atatürk Airport, causing the family to abandon their plans to receive cancer treatment in Cuba.

Kimse Yok Mu holds iftar dinner for Thai Muslims

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation held yet another iftar dinner for Thai Muslims as a part of its Ramadan activities. Ramadan is different in Thailand from Turkey. Families choose to break their fast together with others at the mosques rather than doing it alone at home.

Horrific Torture Details Emerge In Turkey’s Capital, A Lawyer Reveals

“I feel totally ashamed as a jurist for gross human rights violations and heavy torture practices I have come to know while I was practicing my [lawyer] profession”. The lawyer asks not only his name be kept confidential but also his client for fear of their lives and negative repercussions for sharing details of torture.

34,000 teachers, 5,882 academics, 1,372 university employees dismissed since July 15, 2016

A total of 34,000 teachers have been dismissed along with 5,882 academics and 1,372 administrative personnel at universities as part of the Turkish government’s post-coup crackdown, a recent report said.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Deutsche Welle: Power struggle between old friends in Turkey

Conflict between Gülen Movement and Turkey’s ruling AKP reflected in business world

Turkey’s Gulen Demand – The U.S. shouldn’t extradite the exiled Turk without better evidence

Moderate Muslims Find Voice and Spotlight in Worldwide Gulen Movement

Plot against Samanyolu media group detected

PM defends Zarrab, suspected of leading bribery ring

Kimse Yok Mu volunteer doctors back from Central African Republic

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News